


Like Love

by bofoddity



Category: Lolita (1997), Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
Genre: Character Study, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-05 10:14:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bofoddity/pseuds/bofoddity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lo has hurt her knees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zaychik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaychik/gifts).



Charlotte was never the most loving mom, even when Lo was a little girl. If Lo hurt herself, Charlotte didn't try to kiss the hurt gone or blow it away with a breath; cleaning whatever scrapes Lo got and making sure she wasn't dying was enough for Charlotte. Lo had never even minded, to be honest. An affectionate Charlotte was a strange, disturbing Charlotte, anyway.

Humbert also can be strange when it comes to affection, but at least his affection is nicer to watch; he is kneeling before her in the bathroom now, examining her knees with horrified hands and devastated eyes. He's kind of like an ant, Lo thinks, made of focus and rapid movements as he leans in to check that there are no wounds, holding on to the back of her left calf with both hands. To steady her, he would probably say if Lo asked, but she's sitting on the stool and isn't about to fall off, and she manages not to move, too. There's nothing to mess with Humbert's aim when it comes to touching her and his eyes are not going to miss any critical injury. There is no need to hold her as if she'll fall apart otherwise.

Still, having someone to fuss over her like she's the most precious thing in the world.. it's kind of nice.

“I can’t believe you jumped off a horse. That is madness, Lolita." Humbert frowns at the large purple bruise that crosses from calf to thigh along the joint on her left leg. Lo is pretty sure it didn't come from the fall, unlike the solid bruising right on her knees. That means the purple bruise may officially be the first riding injury of Lo's life. She's almost disappointed that it's going to heal away, not even leaving a mark.

“Horse is a large animal,” Humbert huffs, closing his eyes so he can shake his head in the most stunned manner possible. Lo rolls her eyes. “People have died from falling off horses," Humbert continues. "What were you thinking?”

“Well first of all, it was a po-“ Her correction gets cut off by her own hiss, brought on by Humbert’s careless thumb that he had to go and shove right into deepest shade of purple in her thigh. Humbert erupts into apologies without breaks, stroking both of her calves with warm, steady palms before his hands halt on her ankles, and he leans in to ghost his lips over the spot he just mistreated. He pulls away when Lo squirms.

“It was a pony,” she repeats, clearing her throat. Getting dramatic over everything is something that Humbert and Charlotte share in common, although their approaches were rather different; Humbert always has to make a show of how much he cares about Lo, how much he would do anything for her, while Charlotte could never be angry enough at her. She hates both equally.

“It wasn’t even running,” she says, and is pleased with how calm, collected she sounds. She smiles to relax herself more, reaching out to stroke Humbert's face with full palm, observing the faint stubble he has and what parts of his face it reaches. She works herself to perfect indifference. "I just got scared. It wasn't a big fall."

“I’d say your flesh disagrees.” Humbert sounds calm too; this means it's either safe to look him in the eye, or that she's in trouble. She looks at him, smiling wider to better face his frown.

“It wasn’t a big fall.” She smiles confidence and reassurance at him, but Humbert doesn't react. He turns his attention back to her knees, starts to clean the few scrapes she has. Lo keeps smiling at him, at his head, because this isn't a big deal. Lo keeps smiling because Humbert needs to understand that, too.

Charlotte would never, ever have let her ride a pony. Back at home there were never any opportunities to do so, but the new town was full of them, more so after Lo made the right friends. Humbert had resisted the idea for a long time, protesting the dangers and how much it would cost, but he had relented after much bargaining from Lo, and especially the promise that he could come along for the lessons and watch. She doesn't want him near the life she has outside their house, but riding was something so important that having him there was no price at all.

The pony had been so pretty, too, with its soft grey coat and nose; she hadn't realized how high she would be until she got up on it, but the pony had been solid as a barrel under her, strong and warm, so she had been soothed. Lo thinks everything would have gone right if only no one told her that horses get scared easily, back at the stables. She wouldn't have jumped at the first loud noise herself.

“Ow!” She yanks her legs up and away from Humbert, which turns out to be mistake as every new color on her knees comes to life on that moment, turning into pain. She starts screaming.

Humbert is fast as always, curling his arms around her and pulling her close into a firm embrace, breathing fast in her hair. He lets Lo scream, trash, kick, lets her do everything but the one thing she wants; to make him hear, make him understand. She made a mistake. It was all her fault, not the fault of the sweet, gray pony. She'll agree to any punishment he has in mind, as long as he lets her keep this.

She falls slack in his arms, hurting too much to move anymore, too spent and numb to feel anymore. Humbert holds her close, breathing her in and out for a while before he stands up, dragging her up with him. Lo doesn't resist, accepts her own weight on her feet. She collapses against his chest.

“No more riding for you,” he whispers, kissing her head so hard she can feel his teeth against her scalp. “It’s too dangerous. I can’t have you get hurt like this again. I can't risk it, my Lolita. You are too precious to me.”

“I know,” she replies. She misses her mother.


End file.
